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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: retoid on Thu, 17 December 2020, 21:30:21
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Ever since I got into mechanical KB's, I've been looking for an 1800 layout as it is exactly what I am after. I like the compactness with the arrows keys and numpad.
I didn't realize how important the numpad was to me until I got a KB without one.
After a lot of searching I finally found a nice looking Leopold FC980M on Amazon. Placed order and waited for a while to see that nothing had shipped. Contacted the seller and they let me know that they no longer have stock. Refunded. I found one other seller on Amazon with the same KB, placed order and lo and behold it was marked as shipped on Dec 7th, 2020. I keep checking tracking for updates... nothing. DHL shows that a label was created but no package has ben received. Finally I contact the seller asking for an update. They reply "package lost in mail, refunded." That's all. Well I can tell that was a lie, as DHL shows no package was even scanned as being picked up. And the seller replied to my message within minutes. This is really frustrating.
Is there a pre-built or kit out there with the 1800 layout that's in stock that I am missing somewhere? I feel like I've searched high and low for weeks on end with 0 results.
Literally everything is "Sold Out".
If this is such a popular layout, it seems a bit strange to me that more people aren't designing and making these or reproducing the already created ones to sell more. All I see on GB's are 65%'s and less and quite a few of them.
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are they that much smaller than a full keyboard? It doesnt look like it saves that much space and I think thats why people go the smaller boards for space
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The leopold you are after is an excellent stock keyboard. I have a few. That sucks that you keep getting shafted. I’ve bought from eBay and mechanicalkeyboards.com before with great results. GL
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people definitely like 1800s, but it's not exactly the most popular layout (behind basically every layout from TKL down to 60%) so yeah they're going to be a bit harder to come by.
you can never go wrong with a classic Cherry 1800
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are they that much smaller than a full keyboard? It doesnt look like it saves that much space and I think thats why people go the smaller boards for space
They definitely shed some width and that little bit really helps for my needs. I play CS:GO a lot and my mouse sensitivity is pretty low, so I use a lot of the area on my desk mat for the mouse. With a full size I tend to bump my mouse into my keyboard often.
The leopold you are after is an excellent stock keyboard. I have a few. That sucks that you keep getting shafted. I’ve bought from eBay and mechanicalkeyboards.com before with great results. GL
Yeah I've read some good things about it as well, definitely seems like a great keyboard and I am sure that's why it's sold out everywhere too. I did check ebay also recently but wasn't able to find any except for the electrostatic version.
However I think I found a solution. I had seen that Drop made a similar layout kb as well called the Shift. So I went and checked on drop.com to see if they had any left and it was sold out. Just for the heck of it I searched for the Drop Shift on Amazon and lo and behold there were some left. It's a bit more expensive than the Leopold FC980M but it does look really nice and sturdy. So I just now pulled the trigger on the Shift. I do also really like that it's hot swappable as I am really new to mechanical keyboards and still kind of learning what all is out there and what switches I like. Decided to go with Cherry Browns. The current KB I have has Cherry Reds, and while I like them, I am having issues triggering them exactly when I want/need to. (Again for CS:GO) Excited to try some different switches though and not have to worry about desoldering, as it can be a big pain to deal with if you don't have a nice heated solder sucker.
The other day I modified a 3x3 Cherry switch tester to have LED's on it to show when the switch is activated. This helps out quite a bit for choosing switches.
https://youtu.be/Y1Nwm5_xa8E (https://youtu.be/Y1Nwm5_xa8E)
people definitely like 1800s, but it's not exactly the most popular layout (behind basically every layout from TKL down to 60%) so yeah they're going to be a bit harder to come by.
you can never go wrong with a classic Cherry 1800
I've definitely though about one of these and still might pick up an used one with a USB connecter as a project to customize. I saw one person customize theirs with spray paint and it turned out really nice.
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people definitely like 1800s, but it's not exactly the most popular layout (behind basically every layout from TKL down to 60%) so yeah they're going to be a bit harder to come by.
you can never go wrong with a classic Cherry 1800
I've definitely though about one of these and still might pick up an used one with a USB connecter as a project to customize. I saw one person customize theirs with spray paint and it turned out really nice.
just know you'll be making me cry lol
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lol sorry :D
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you can grab an 1800 case and custom pcb more easily than an original MX-1800
PCB-mount Cherry Switches are actually very good.
The 1800 case is also very easy to find in black unlike a 3000 or 1000 style full-size.
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you can grab an 1800 case and custom pcb more easily than an original MX-1800
PCB-mount Cherry Switches are actually very good.
The 1800 case is also very easy to find in black unlike a 3000 or 1000 style full-size.
I looked all over for these, everything I found has long been sold out. Same with the PCB's.
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you can grab an 1800 case and custom pcb more easily than an original MX-1800
PCB-mount Cherry Switches are actually very good.
The 1800 case is also very easy to find in black unlike a 3000 or 1000 style full-size.
I looked all over for these, everything I found has long been sold out. Same with the PCB's.
Well, you should be able to get a leeku 1800 PCB if you email him. I haven't checked if there are any left though
his email: leeku11@gmail.com
OR there is this open-source PCB:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=96692.0
https://github.com/evyd13/gh80-series
You can submit the gerbers to somewhere like JLCPCB or another chinese maker, and it shouldn't be that much. Usually the minimum order is 5 pcbs, but really the prices are so low it's worth checking out. You would have to hand-solder them though.
For cases, sometimes you can get people to mail you one for the price of shipping, so ask around first, but if not here are some on ebay you can throw some offers at:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cherry-MY1800-Keyboard-White-PS2/164006460723?hash=item262f8bfd33:g:fPQAAOSwkHJf28il
https://www.ebay.com/itm/CHERRY-G81-1800LPMUS-2-00-PS-2-Black-Keyboard-D-91275-VERY-GOOD-TESTED-USED-COND/184527659939?hash=item2af6b4a3a3:g:CCwAAOSwTwRfqIYW
hope this helps!
~moose
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you can grab an 1800 case and custom pcb more easily than an original MX-1800
PCB-mount Cherry Switches are actually very good.
The 1800 case is also very easy to find in black unlike a 3000 or 1000 style full-size.
I looked all over for these, everything I found has long been sold out. Same with the PCB's.
Well, you should be able to get a leeku 1800 PCB if you email him. I haven't checked if there are any left though
his email: leeku11@gmail.com
OR there is this open-source PCB:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=96692.0
https://github.com/evyd13/gh80-series
You can submit the gerbers to somewhere like JLCPCB or another chinese maker, and it shouldn't be that much. Usually the minimum order is 5 pcbs, but really the prices are so low it's worth checking out. You would have to hand-solder them though.
For cases, sometimes you can get people to mail you one for the price of shipping, so ask around first, but if not here are some on ebay you can throw some offers at:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cherry-MY1800-Keyboard-White-PS2/164006460723?hash=item262f8bfd33:g:fPQAAOSwkHJf28il
https://www.ebay.com/itm/CHERRY-G81-1800LPMUS-2-00-PS-2-Black-Keyboard-D-91275-VERY-GOOD-TESTED-USED-COND/184527659939?hash=item2af6b4a3a3:g:CCwAAOSwTwRfqIYW
hope this helps!
~moose
Thank you for the info and links.
About the PCB's, I even looked into creating my own PCB, which I have experience with. However where I get stopped up is the micro controller firmware. I don't code and have tried learning multiple times, my brain just hurts from it. Unless there is firmware readily available for this board/chip and a very clear how to install it and use it. I don't think I'd be able to work it out unfortunately.
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you can grab an 1800 case and custom pcb more easily than an original MX-1800
PCB-mount Cherry Switches are actually very good.
The 1800 case is also very easy to find in black unlike a 3000 or 1000 style full-size.
I looked all over for these, everything I found has long been sold out. Same with the PCB's.
Well, you should be able to get a leeku 1800 PCB if you email him. I haven't checked if there are any left though
his email: leeku11@gmail.com
OR there is this open-source PCB:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=96692.0
https://github.com/evyd13/gh80-series
You can submit the gerbers to somewhere like JLCPCB or another chinese maker, and it shouldn't be that much. Usually the minimum order is 5 pcbs, but really the prices are so low it's worth checking out. You would have to hand-solder them though.
For cases, sometimes you can get people to mail you one for the price of shipping, so ask around first, but if not here are some on ebay you can throw some offers at:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cherry-MY1800-Keyboard-White-PS2/164006460723?hash=item262f8bfd33:g:fPQAAOSwkHJf28il
https://www.ebay.com/itm/CHERRY-G81-1800LPMUS-2-00-PS-2-Black-Keyboard-D-91275-VERY-GOOD-TESTED-USED-COND/184527659939?hash=item2af6b4a3a3:g:CCwAAOSwTwRfqIYW
hope this helps!
~moose
Thank you for the info and links.
About the PCB's, I even looked into creating my own PCB, which I have experience with. However where I get stopped up is the micro controller firmware. I don't code and have tried learning multiple times, my brain just hurts from it. Unless there is firmware readily available for this board/chip and a very clear how to install it and use it. I don't think I'd be able to work it out unfortunately.
There is QMK firmware:
https://docs.qmk.fm/
you can define your layout via some websites or manually (compile it yourself, the website's generated source code is ok, but the hex file never works):
https://kbfirmware.com/
most newer keyboards all use this same firmware.
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are they that much smaller than a full keyboard? It doesnt look like it saves that much space and I think thats why people go the smaller boards for space
They definitely shed some width and that little bit really helps for my needs. I play CS:GO a lot and my mouse sensitivity is pretty low, so I use a lot of the area on my desk mat for the mouse. With a full size I tend to bump my mouse into my keyboard often.
I can understand that I have a small area for my keyboard mouse on my set up (its a tray) but its the perfect height so any bit helps
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There is QMK firmware:
https://docs.qmk.fm/
you can define your layout via some websites or manually (compile it yourself, the website's generated source code is ok, but the hex file never works):
https://kbfirmware.com/
most newer keyboards all use this same firmware.
Ooh! Thank you, I will definitely check this out, much appreciated!
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The Key Company just sold out of 1800 boards about a month ago...
You may be able to find with or without a case and plate, here or in the Mech Market.
Stick with the standard layout(2u + and enter in number pad) and no programming needed. Although, QMK is pretty easy to pick up...
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Have you thought about getting a 96-key board? They'll have the numpad and also save space, although the layout won't be like an 1800
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Have you thought about getting a 96-key board? They'll have the numpad and also save space, although the layout won't be like an 1800
Yes, I've definitely thought about it and almost bought one. But I've read a few reviews about people accidentally hitting keys they didn't want to from them all being packed together so tightly.
I think this would happen to me quite often to be honest. So I've since shied away from them a bit.
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I just wanted to say to the OP. You made a good choice. I hope you are enjoying it. I feel it is Drops only interesting board. I have one in my shopping cart but have yet to pull the trigger. After my Grandfathers passing it is not like I want for keyboard's. I am only ever going to use but one regardless. Not one at a time. The one he designed every aspect of. Anyway, You could not have done better.
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Don't forget about NK's BarleyCorn kit: https://novelkeys.xyz/collections/diy-kits/products/barleycorn-keyboard-kit
I've been eyeing 1800's as well to use as my work board - currently using a CM Quickfire TK so I still have numpad functionality (just forget to turn the num-lock off when I need the functions in the pad).
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I just wanted to say to the OP. You made a good choice. I hope you are enjoying it. I feel it is Drops only interesting board. I have one in my shopping cart but have yet to pull the trigger. After my Grandfathers passing it is not like I want for keyboard's. I am only ever going to use but one regardless. Not one at a time. The one he designed every aspect of. Anyway, You could not have done better.
Thank you, I am enjoying it quite a bit. I really enjoy the compactness and having a full keyboard. I use the Numpad quite a bit.
I am sorry to hear about your grandfather passing, that's never an easy thing to deal with.
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Big fan here of the 1800 layout. Almost as small as a tenkeyless but with the useful numpad. I don't know about you, but I have never ever in my life used the nav cluster in 100% keyboards. It's much easier, comfortable and intuitive to use the numpad for that, so the nav cluster for me is redundant and a waste of space. That's why the 1800 layout is perfect for me. Also, I sometimes use the enter on the numpad, just stretching my thumb without release my mouse. And obviously, the numpad is a must for entering numbers.
I have 3 Leopold FC980 keyboards (2 with MX Blacks and 1 with Topres), amazing boards, by the way. I don't know what's going on with the stock, but they aren't available anywhere. When mykeyboard.eu or candykeys have FC980Cs back in stock I will order a dozen of them. XD
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Big fan here of the 1800 layout. Almost as small as a tenkeyless but with the useful numpad. I don't know about you, but I have never ever in my life used the nav cluster in 100% keyboards. It's much easier, comfortable and intuitive to use the numpad for that, so the nav cluster for me is redundant and a waste of space. That's why the 1800 layout is perfect for me. Also, I sometimes use the enter on the numpad, just stretching my thumb without release my mouse. And obviously, the numpad is a must for entering numbers.
I have 3 Leopold FC980 keyboards (2 with MX Blacks and 1 with Topres), amazing boards, by the way. I don't know what's going on with the stock, but they aren't available anywhere. When mykeyboard.eu or candykeys have FC980Cs back in stock I will order a dozen of them. XD
Yeah I agree, the size is great and the addition of the numpad is excellent. Definitely my favorite layout for a keyboard. Same here on the nav cluster, can't recall myself really using it much at all.
When I swapped out my full size for a TKL I found myself tapping the mouse pad to the right of the keyboard looking to hit the numpad enter key very often hehe.
It's a great layout and I can understand why you'd want more. I'll have to pick up an FC980M when they're back in stock too. I am excited for the used Cherry G80-1800 that's coming in this week so I can have a project to work on for swapping out the PCB and customizing it some.
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I really want the Drop. I am not sure that there is a better built 1800 that is not Korean custom?
I have a couple of questions for the OP or anyone please.
Is the key labeled "print" in fact "print screen"? if not, does the board have print screen functionality?
I am using this strictly for coding.
Should I get blue's, clears,
Or get the bare bones with Zealios or Glorious Holy Panda's?
Edit: Halo Clear
Thank you
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I really want the Drop. I am not sure that there is a better built 1800 that is not Korean custom?
I have a couple of questions for the OP or anyone please.
Is the key labeled "print" in fact "print screen"? if not, does the board have print screen functionality?
I am using this strictly for coding.
Should I get blue's, clears,
Or get the bare bones with Zealios or Glorious Holy Panda's?
Edit: Halo Clear
Thank you
Print is Print Screen yes, just tested it.
About switches, I am not the man to ask tbh. I only have experience with Cherry Reds and Browns. I think for switches it comes very much down to personal preference.
So far I am really enjoying the Browns, I like Reds for typing but they were not as good for gaming for me personally, only because it was harder to activate the key on a very specific timing needed in a game than with the Browns, being tactile.
I've heard lots of good things about the Holy Panda's and would like to test them out myself.
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Thank you
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Thank you
No problem.
Chime back in when you've decided on switches. I'd be curious to hear which you chose and how you like them.
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I already know. I will get Glorious Holy Panda's for it. I guess between Zealios it is a tossup. They are both top tier in that category. Whichever a specific individual prefers. I have boards with both. The downside to some people on a board with a high key count. They are expensive per switch. Plus I use good key caps and live with under glow. Instead of sub par caps and shine through. I do not want to reveal where the switches are since I will not be getting them then. I just need to wait until my credit card payment clears. Should be by Midnight.
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I already know. I will get Glorious Holy Panda's for it. I guess between Zealios it is a tossup. They are both top tier in that category. Whichever a specific individual prefers. I have boards with both. The downside to some people on a board with a high key count. They are expensive per switch. Plus I use good key caps and live with under glow. Instead of sub par caps and shine through. I do not want to reveal where the switches are since I will not be getting them then. I just need to wait until my credit card payment clears. Should be by Midnight.
Ok cool, sounds like it's going to be a nice board. Which keycaps will you be putting on it?
I've got some lube arriving today to try and combat the ping a little. Also ordered some o-rings for it. I had some extras laying around and put some on a few keys and rather like the feel of them. It also seems to eliminate a slight bit of the ping.
There are some really nice looking keycaps out there, however most of the ones I like the best are created in the SA profile which I am afraid I will not like. Personally I like lower profile boards and keys. I swapped out the caps that come with this Drop Shift for some PMK Dolch DSA PBT caps and I am rather enjoying them. I Might go for the GB of the KAM Superuser when it's available. They look nice and KAM profile seems close to DSA.
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Just some pretty plain GMK. Shine through caps are all pretty much lousy.
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Just some pretty plain GMK. Shine through caps are all pretty much lousy.
Gotcha, I am personally not very fond of the shine through caps either.
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Just got an used Cherry G81-1800 in from ebay today. Pretty excited to fully customize it with a new PCB, switches and caps and get it all nice and clean.
I'll post some progress here as I have something to show.
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There is QMK firmware:
https://docs.qmk.fm/
you can define your layout via some websites or manually (compile it yourself, the website's generated source code is ok, but the hex file never works):
https://kbfirmware.com/
most newer keyboards all use this same firmware.
Just wanted to thank you again, I ended up having some PCB's made and soldered up the IC and components last night and tried the kbfirmware.com firmware builder and it works great! Really makes this pretty easy. I was surprised that flashing the IC and testing out the keyboard all worked on the first try! Very excited and happy :D
Now I've got a Cherry G81-1800 with hot swap sockets!
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Outstanding! You already have a custom board. Way to go man! I actually like the ALT High. The darn Right Shift kills it.
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Outstanding! You already have a custom board. Way to go man! I actually like the ALT High. The darn Right Shift kills it.
Thanks! :D
I rather enjoy working with electrical CAD and PCB layouts. Most of the work was already done by Maarten as far as layout goes. Re-ran most of the traces to connect to the Kailh hotswap sockets and eliminated the alternative key switch positioning spots to make it more simple. Finished it up sent it over to PCB manufacturer, they're pretty quick. Got the PCB's the the other day and soldered on the IC, caps and resistors and a single diode for one switch. Created firmware using the keyboard-layout-editor.com and kbfirmware.com tool which is awesome. Loaded up the firmware and it worked! Tested the one switch I had soldered the diode to and it worked correctly. Today I just finished soldering on all the diodes and connected it up again and ran a test to make sure all the connections worked and read the keys they were supposed to and they all worked perfectly. Super happy! Now I am finishing up by soldering the remaining Kailh hotswap sockets. Got some aluminum plates in the mail coming from laserboost.com and some Holy Pandas on the way as well. Just need to find stabs and keycaps and it should be complete :D
QMK is really neat too, ended up assigning the extra "function?" key 3rd from the right side of space bar on the G81-1800 as a MUTE key which is pretty handy.
Backside of PCB
(https://i.imgur.com/kiwvO32.jpg?1)
How do you mean the right shift kills it? From being so close to the up arrow?
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why dont you just buy it in taobao??fc980m is everywhere in China
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why dont you just buy it in taobao??fc980m is everywhere in China
That site is confusing to me and after learning some more, I am more interested in having a hotswap board to be able to change switches.
Also creating a custom board is a fun project :)
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Yeah, Don't discourage him. He did a great job. When this thread started I had no clue that he had this skill set. A lot of people feel that hot swap is prone to failure. I disagree. So long as you are not swapping 5 times a day. I mean Rama is. enough said. You did good clean work. I have seen a lot of monkey jobs. this is not one of those. I hate to say this but it deserves a better case now. Although that format is hard to find. The case is alright. If you could find Glorious Holy Pandas you would have it made. I kind of like Halo Clear and Real T1 Switches. That is the beauty of Hot Swap. Just not too many times. Well, that is real good work. Enjoy it! Mine is mostly stock.
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The 'Function' key is used to add another layer, so you could hold it and have P for play/pause, M for mute N for next track (or whatever - maybe hold FN with one hand and hade them on the home position of the other), it's a necessity on small boards but can be useful on big ones too.
Good work on the PCB, don't forget to post a pic when it's done (though I guess it will look a lot like a stock board...)
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Yeah, Don't discourage him. He did a great job. When this thread started I had no clue that he had this skill set. A lot of people feel that hot swap is prone to failure. I disagree. So long as you are not swapping 5 times a day. I mean Rama is. enough said. You did good clean work. I have seen a lot of monkey jobs. this is not one of those. I hate to say this but it deserves a better case now. Although that format is hard to find. The case is alright. If you could find Glorious Holy Pandas you would have it made. I kind of like Halo Clear and Real T1 Switches. That is the beauty of Hot Swap. Just not too many times. Well, that is real good work. Enjoy it! Mine is mostly stock.
Thank you very much, I appreciate your comments and feedback! I could see how hotswap sockets could fail with a lot of usage or sloppy usage. But they seem like that will be just fine so long as you take your time and remove/insert switches carefully. I don't imagine I'll be swapping switches all that often anyhow, just having the option is really nice though. And if one decided to resell their switches, it's super easy and they're still clean with no solder on the legs. I was thinking the same about the case, but for this project I will stick with the Cherry 1800 case. But this has made me want to start completely from scratch and design a fully custom 1800 layout keyboard with a custom case.
Glorious HP's were sold out when I went to grab some, I am rather impatient so I ended up finding Drop had some left and ordered some of their Invyr + Drop HP's. I watched a review on the different HP's and they're pretty similar to Glorious. Thanks again! :)
The 'Function' key is used to add another layer, so you could hold it and have P for play/pause, M for mute N for next track (or whatever - maybe hold FN with one hand and hade them on the home position of the other), it's a necessity on small boards but can be useful on big ones too.
Good work on the PCB, don't forget to post a pic when it's done (though I guess it will look a lot like a stock board...)
After reading through the list of functions that I could assign on the QMK docs I was thinking it would make a good button for changing layers. However I personally don't think I'd really use layers all that often if at all. Not a big deal though as this can easily be changed which is great.
Thank you and yeah I will definitely post some more pics as I progress through the project. :)
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No problem man. I fully agree on hot swap. I am not sure why there was an entire thread that they were unreliable with no proof.
Another thing. When you started this thread I had no idea you had electronic skills. Hence many people had accused me of being my Grandfather! If you were not aware he had passed away and i hijacked his account. People thought I knew too much. That is moronic. Anyone can know anything. Not to mention I have asked plenty of questions here. You have as well. No one knows everything either.
I have to hand it to you though. that is a clean job. Honestly I am into serious typing at the moment and I feel that calls for none other than Topre. I just wish Topre was customizable. I am sure everyone does. Well it is to some extent but I could not afford the parts. Yes, I know what I spent on the I1. Exactly why I am broke.
Anyhow if I need a PCB populated I know who to call :)
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No problem man. I fully agree on hot swap. I am not sure why there was an entire thread that they were unreliable with no proof.
Another thing. When you started this thread I had no idea you had electronic skills. Hence many people had accused me of being my Grandfather! If you were not aware he had passed away and i hijacked his account. People thought I knew too much. That is moronic. Anyone can know anything. Not to mention I have asked plenty of questions here. You have as well. No one knows everything either.
I have to hand it to you though. that is a clean job. Honestly I am into serious typing at the moment and I feel that calls for none other than Topre. I just wish Topre was customizable. I am sure everyone does. Well it is to some extent but I could not afford the parts. Yes, I know what I spent on the I1. Exactly why I am broke.
Anyhow if I need a PCB populated I know who to call :)
Yeah I had read on another post about your grandfather, sorry to hear he passed away. You never know who knows what and who doesn't know something. It's good to practice to always treat others kindly and try to be helpful. Mocking someone for their lack of skill/knowledge in something can do quite a bit of harm. We shouldn't want to deter anyone from learning or making them feel like they're not capable. I am pretty new to this community and so far several people have been pretty helpful and kind. There's always going to be some bad apples in the mix wherever you go unfortunately. Best is to even treat them with kindness back, rather than fuel the fire and allow yourself to get upset. Getting upset is no fun and generally deters one from achieving things. You also never know what someone else has been through or is going through. So always best to try and be kind to everyone :)
Thank you again for the compliments. :)
Topre is pretty much foreign to me yet, I've only read a few things here and there about it. From what I've gathered so far is that a lot of people like it but there definitely seems to be a lot of people who don't like it much at all either. Probably another one of those personal preference things. I'd like to try a Topre keyboard out and see how it feels, maybe some day. I did notice that the Leopold FC980 comes in an electrostatic version, is that similar or the same as Topre?
You should post a pic of your I1 when it comes in if it hasn't already, I'd be curious to see how it looks. Also what you think of it after using it for a little while.
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The fc980 is the same thing. It is a good one. honestly I did not even open the I1. I have very bad buyers remorse. I am not sure why I spent that. That was the one thing I had to have. Not really for that much. I will get over it. You have a very good attitude.
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I'm curious, what's the advantage of building your own 1800 vs. just buying a Cherry G80-1800 and replacing the switches? Better case? A stiffer keyboard because you can add a plate? Does the Cherry keyboard have the off off-center caps lock stem that the G80-3000 does? That's been a royal PITA when trying to find an inexpensive set of keycaps for my own G80-3000.
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The fc980 is the same thing. It is a good one. honestly I did not even open the I1. I have very bad buyers remorse. I am not sure why I spent that. That was the one thing I had to have. Not really for that much. I will get over it. You have a very good attitude.
Ok gotcha, I wish there was an easy convenient way to try it out without buying one :D
Ahh, I don't know much about the I1 but from the sounds of it, it's probably expensive.
I'm curious, what's the advantage of building your own 1800 vs. just buying a Cherry G80-1800 and replacing the switches? Better case? A stiffer keyboard because you can add a plate? Does the Cherry keyboard have the off off-center caps lock stem that the G80-3000 does? That's been a royal PITA when trying to find an inexpensive set of keycaps for my own G80-3000.
Well, from my experience (which is all older versions on the G81-1800) is that the switches are pretty bad. They are super mushy and sluggish and don't feel very nice. For me the main reason was to be able to use which ever switches I wanted, which is also why I chose to make the PCB hotswappable. Another plus is that with the custom PCB, you can run QMK firmware which allows for a lot of easy customization of the layout and functions including adding layers. Also these older models I picked up only had PS2 connectors and not USB.
I've made some progress, the plates arrived in the mail today. I had to do some alterations to the top of the case in order to allow the plate to sit a bit above the PCB. Though it was fairly easy to handle with a dremel and an exacto knife. So it's pretty much finished now, all I need are the switches which should arrive soon. And also to figure out some foam inside as it's got a rather hollow sound and will definitely ping. I might also consider powder coating the plates. I've got some matte black or translucent rich purple powder that I could use which would help ever so slightly with the sound as well as make it look prettier. It also has UV LED's for the Num Lock, Scroll Lock and Caps Lock, which are purple in color :D
(https://i.imgur.com/MO9FahN.jpg)
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If you want to get real good stuff to dampen the case. Go to a car radio store and ask them for some scraps of Dynamat lite. It is very expensive but they will harge you next to nothing for that. If anything. It will make the board sound much better than just plain packing foam. I am surprised because at first I figured you were clueless. I had no idea that you had electronic fabrication skills. You do a good job too. I have found that some of the very finest boards are in plastic based cases.
You could read the I1 thread I had started a few weeks ago. I will not mention it here. "Expensive" would be an understatement. You could not imagine. I am not really sure what I was thinking then.
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If you want to get real good stuff to dampen the case. Go to a car radio store and ask them for some scraps of Dynamat lite. It is very expensive but they will harge you next to nothing for that. If anything. It will make the board sound much better than just plain packing foam. I am surprised because at first I figured you were clueless. I had no idea that you had electronic fabrication skills. You do a good job too. I have found that some of the very finest boards are in plastic based cases.
You could read the I1 thread I had started a few weeks ago. I will not mention it here. "Expensive" would be an understatement. You could not imagine. I am not really sure what I was thinking then.
Oh interesting, I will definitely look into that, thank you!
Hey thanks again, I am just self taught in the EE/PCB field. I used to design and make a lot of PCB's that were cosmetic only, to be used as front face plates for modular synthesizers. I've learned about PCB fabrication from making those. And also got my feet wet by trying to make some of my own basic modules like low pass gates etc.
Cool, I'll check out your thread on the I1. This hobby seems pretty popular and people seem willing to spend quite a bit to have a nice keyboard. I suppose if you change your mind on the I1, I would imagine there would be some people willing to buy it off you in order to regain some funds back.
One more pic, I decided to powder coat the aluminum frame. It's coated in a gloss white and I did another in a translucent purple. I added packing foam as well, but might end up changing it if I can find the dynamat scraps for a good price.
(https://i.imgur.com/63C8qLj.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/kGJVeLO.jpg)
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Quick sound test with unlubed Durok Linear switch. Still has a metallic hollow sound, definitely not nearly as bad as before without the foam.
I am assuming that with all the switches installed it should dampen a little more too.
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I've picked up a few Cherry 1800's now and this one had some scratches/burn marks on it a few places, so I ended up sanding it down and filling the gaps with some JB Weld PlastiWeld which worked pretty good and put some primer on it and decided to put a bright teal color on it.
First coat of teal:
(https://i.imgur.com/LuHsyD0.jpg)
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I would have had no idea you are this good. That is a smooth finish.
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I would have had no idea you are this good. That is a smooth finish.
Thank you, you're too kind :D
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Nice colour retoid! Looking forward how the finished product looks :thumb:
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Nice colour retoid! Looking forward how the finished product looks :thumb:
Thank you very much, I've got switches for it but am still on the lookout for keycaps for it. Kinda struggling to find some that would look good and that are in stock somewhere. Any suggestions? :D So far grays and light beiges with accents of other teal/blue colors seems to be looking nice with this teal case color.
I've got some DSA RETRO BEIGE keycaps coming from KPRepublic which will probably work nicely. But I placed that order a while ago and am getting no response form that company and the tracking number says it's invalid. So I am a bit worried that those will fall through.
GMK Dots would looks really good with it I think, but I don't think I could use those keycaps haha, also I don't think they come in the sizes I need them in. Navy with some colorful accents/legends would probably look nice also.
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Really hoping the high-profile Shift keyboard from Drop comes back. I already requested for the barebones because I know which keycaps and switches I want to put into it.
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Nice colour retoid! Looking forward how the finished product looks :thumb:
Thank you very much, I've got switches for it but am still on the lookout for keycaps for it. Kinda struggling to find some that would look good and that are in stock somewhere. Any suggestions? :D So far grays and light beiges with accents of other teal/blue colors seems to be looking nice with this teal case color.
I've got some DSA RETRO BEIGE keycaps coming from KPRepublic which will probably work nicely. But I placed that order a while ago and am getting no response form that company and the tracking number says it's invalid. So I am a bit worried that those will fall through.
I personally like the tried and true beige sets - think it would definitely look good with teal. Especially since the colour already does the talking. Then you don't have the keycaps fighting for attention. I'm not super well versed on the sub-50 end of the keycap spectrum though. Hopefully the dsa retro beige show up soon for you!
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Really hoping the high-profile Shift keyboard from Drop comes back. I already requested for the barebones because I know which keycaps and switches I want to put into it.
Yeah that looks nice, hopefully they will create more and re-stock soon.
Nice colour retoid! Looking forward how the finished product looks :thumb:
Thank you very much, I've got switches for it but am still on the lookout for keycaps for it. Kinda struggling to find some that would look good and that are in stock somewhere. Any suggestions? :D So far grays and light beiges with accents of other teal/blue colors seems to be looking nice with this teal case color.
I've got some DSA RETRO BEIGE keycaps coming from KPRepublic which will probably work nicely. But I placed that order a while ago and am getting no response form that company and the tracking number says it's invalid. So I am a bit worried that those will fall through.
I personally like the tried and true beige sets - think it would definitely look good with teal. Especially since the colour already does the talking. Then you don't have the keycaps fighting for attention. I'm not super well versed on the sub-50 end of the keycap spectrum though. Hopefully the dsa retro beige show up soon for you!
Thanks for the input, I too am hoping they'll show up soon. Tracking finally shows they shipped!
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Looks like there is a new contender for an 1800 board on Drop (not the Shift either). The Flesports FL980, a hotswap socketed board - nice addition to the line-up for the layout (pre-order set at $110 USD).
Link: https://drop.com/buy/flesports-fl980-rgb-hot-swappable-1800-mechanical-keyboard-kit?utm_placement=1&referer=ULD6SJ&mode=guest_open&utm_campaign=Automated%20Daily%20Promotional%202021-02-02&utm_source=SparkPost&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily%20Promotional&utm_content=1612252650652.137972029857349406316981#overview (https://drop.com/buy/flesports-fl980-rgb-hot-swappable-1800-mechanical-keyboard-kit?utm_placement=1&referer=ULD6SJ&mode=guest_open&utm_campaign=Automated%20Daily%20Promotional%202021-02-02&utm_source=SparkPost&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily%20Promotional&utm_content=1612252650652.137972029857349406316981#overview)
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Nice, I am glad to see some more options popping up again.
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Re-ran most of the traces to connect to the Kailh hotswap sockets and eliminated the alternative key switch positioning spots to make it more simple.
Would it be possible for you to share your modified PCB files? I'm interested in doing a custom build for the 1800 because of this thread and I want it to have hot swap support. Your build is looking awesome!
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Re-ran most of the traces to connect to the Kailh hotswap sockets and eliminated the alternative key switch positioning spots to make it more simple.
Would it be possible for you to share your modified PCB files? I'm interested in doing a custom build for the 1800 because of this thread and I want it to have hot swap support. Your build is looking awesome!
Sure, here are the files https://github.com/retoid/G80-1800-Retoid (https://github.com/retoid/G80-1800-Retoid)
Just be aware though that I have removed the alternate positioning for varying layouts. If you want to add those, you'll have to add them in the PCB project files. You can see how evd13 did this with their PCB and use it as a reference. https://github.com/evyd13/gh80-series/tree/master/GH80-1800 (https://github.com/evyd13/gh80-series/tree/master/GH80-1800)
Also I have not yet tested the 1.1 Version of the PCB yet as I am still waiting for the new PCB's to arrive. Although they should work as I only made a few small changes to allow for a 6.25U spacebar instead of 6U and adjusted the keys and key sizes to the left and right side of the spacebar.
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It's been a while since I have been able to work more on this custom Cherry 1800. Had to order new PCB's and ended up ordering right before the Chinese new year, finally got them in hands on Friday.
Now just waiting on keycaps to arrive.
(https://i.imgur.com/6k5Yq84.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/2Bf2fA5.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/yw1JJUT.jpg?1)
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Might be a long shot but figured I'd ask anyway considering PCB MOQs, would you sell one of those PCBs if you happen to have a spare?
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Might be a long shot but figured I'd ask anyway considering PCB MOQs, would you sell one of those PCBs if you happen to have a spare?
Hi, yup I could do that. I have 3 extra PCB's as I only had 5 made. Keeping one for myself and one going to a friend. I had plans to make 3 more customized 1800's by painting them and adding in colored stabs etc. Basically customizing them with everything apart from switches and keycaps then selling them. But if you would want just a PCB, I could sell one to you. Would you be more interested in a populated PCB or non populated? I have all the components to populate them already. But if you are into soldering I fully understand wanting to source the parts and solder it all yourself, it can be fun. Another option would be to have the IC flashed with firmware or not. Either way this is super simple to change at any time so you can fully customize how you want keys to interact and add layers etc. as it's using QMK firmware. (currently I have the Function key, second to right from spacebar set to mute/unmute audio)
Just something to note about these PCB's is that unlike many other custom keyboard PCB's today that include multiple keyswitch positioning's, my PCB does not. As you can see in the picture there is only one location for each keyswitch. So it's set/static to one layout.
This is the layout.
(https://i.imgur.com/hSdxstg.png)
Let me know how you'd be interested in buying one, with what options etc. Probably best to private message me and we can discuss price there.
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Woohoo, finally finished! Got some keycaps in just today after waiting 2 months!
I am very happy with the project, frankly I think it turned out better than I was expecting it to.
(https://i.imgur.com/gNDUyg4.jpg)
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Got 2 more in the process of being customized.
(https://i.imgur.com/3eF2u1G.jpg)
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I have four TKC boards and cases that I rotate between work and home. Two with Box Navy switches(stock & 150g springs), one Box Royal, and one with Kailh Gold switches. I really wish these were hot swappable as I'd like to swap out the springs in the Royal switches and dump the Gold switches.
As for the cases, what paint is everyone using?
Thanks!
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
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Oh nice! Quite the collection you've got :D
Yeah having the hotswapable option is really nice in my opinion unless you know exactly what switches and specs you want and are dead set on it.
For paint, the first time around for the turquoise/teal color I used Krylon. But this time I decided to order some Montana as I know it's quality paint and comes in several nice colors.
Montana seems to coat more even and better than Krylon as well. I went through nearly an entire can on Krylon on the first case, but barely used up half on this second case when using Montana.
Both had a primer applied before hand too.
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Thanks!
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
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Currently working on building 2 more custom 1800's and will have them for sale soon. One is painted in #002A32 and the other in #D1D5BC. Not sure if anyone here is interested in one, I will post some more about it soon. Mostly just waiting on some nice fabric cables to arrive.
I also had some custom CAPS, NUM and SCROLL lock replacement stickers made up since the originals had to be removed in order to paint the case.
(https://i.imgur.com/jc6Q7xJ.jpg)
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One more pic, all finished. This one is for sale. Includes TTC Blueish White switches.
(https://i.imgur.com/e8Q6J7X.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lFPSAvP.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/dErsB2Z.jpg)
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you can grab an 1800 case and custom pcb more easily than an original MX-1800
PCB-mount Cherry Switches are actually very good.
The 1800 case is also very easy to find in black unlike a 3000 or 1000 style full-size.
I looked all over for these, everything I found has long been sold out. Same with the PCB's.
Well, you should be able to get a leeku 1800 PCB if you email him. I haven't checked if there are any left though
his email: leeku11@gmail.com
OR there is this open-source PCB:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=96692.0
https://github.com/evyd13/gh80-series
You can submit the gerbers to somewhere like JLCPCB or another chinese maker, and it shouldn't be that much. Usually the minimum order is 5 pcbs, but really the prices are so low it's worth checking out. You would have to hand-solder them though.
For cases, sometimes you can get people to mail you one for the price of shipping, so ask around first, but if not here are some on ebay you can throw some offers at:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cherry-MY1800-Keyboard-White-PS2/164006460723?hash=item262f8bfd33:g:fPQAAOSwkHJf28il
https://www.ebay.com/itm/CHERRY-G81-1800LPMUS-2-00-PS-2-Black-Keyboard-D-91275-VERY-GOOD-TESTED-USED-COND/184527659939?hash=item2af6b4a3a3:g:CCwAAOSwTwRfqIYW
hope this helps!
~moose
When ordering a PCB from JLCPCB, what would be the dimensions?
I'm very new to this and really like the 1800 layout but can't find a pcb for it so i was going to order a few.
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Layer -- 2layers
PCB Thickness -- 1.6mm
Dimensions -- 381mmX149mm